What Are The Rights And Wrongs Of Staff Wearing Religious Symbols At Work?

The wearing of religious symbols by staff at work can sometimes be a vexing issue for employers, and also a potentially difficult area to approach.

As the employee you really need to know what the “rules” are before initiating any discussion.

There are a number of basic questions that you, as an employer,

may have. These are:

• How will an employer know if a religion or belief is genuine?
• What steps should an employer take to deal with a request?
• What questions should employers ask to ensure their approach to a religion or belief request is justified?
• Do employees now have a right to promote their particular religion or belief when at work?
• Can employees refrain from certain work duties?To assist you in this potential minefield, the UK government has published guidance on the issue.So where can you find this guidance?Go to www.equalityhumanrights.com and follow their link to the complete set of guidance notes. It’s well worth reading.